Todd DePastino

Local author Todd DePastino offers several history programs based on his award-winning books, Bill Mauldin: A Life Up Front (W.W. Norton) and Citizen Hobo: How a Century of Homelessness Shaped America (University of Chiago Press).

WWII Cartoonist Bill Mauldin
This popular program is an illustrated talk on the great World War II cartoonist Bill Mauldin, an army infantry sergeant who rocketed to fame at age twenty-two with his wildly popular feature "Up Front." Week after week, Mauldin defied army censors, german artillery, and General George Patton's pledge to throw him in jail for insubordination to deliver his grim depictions of war to "Stars and Stripes" and hundreds of homefront newspapers. There, readers followed the stories of Willie and Joe, two wise-cracking "dogfaces" whose mud-caked uniforms and pidgin of army slang and slum dialect bore eloquent witness to the world of combat and the men who lived- and died - in it. We have never viewed war in the same way since.

The Great American Hobo
This multimedia program presents the history of the American hobo. Almost every child of the Great Depression can remember hoboes, who were once common sights on America's streets, roads, and rails. Few, however, know the hobo's colorful history which stretches back to the Civil War. Hobo subculture- what Todd calls "Hobohemia"- wwas a world apart with its own jargon, style, and ethical code. World War II brought hobohemia to an end and set hte stage for a new phenomenon we call "homelessness." Come learn the hsitory of these railriding wayfarers and hear Todd sing a verse or two of the hobo anthem, "Hallelujah, I'm a Bum!"

The March of the Bonus Army, 1932
This multimedia program presents the most dramatic episode of the Great Depression when 45,000 veterans and their families converged on Washington, DC to demand the "bonus" due to them for service in World War I. The crisis that flared ruined one president (Herbert Hoover) and paved the way for anotehr (Franklin Roosevelt). The saga of the Bonus Army stars some famous Americans (Douglas MacArthur) and soon-t0-be famous (Majors Dwight Eisenhower and George Patton). Come hear the story of this remarkable movement and watch original newsreel of the conflict that riveted teh country in the summer of 1932 and changed forever how our nation treats its veterans.

Details:
45 minutes to 1 hour
All ages, but of particular interest to older adults
$100 fee (negotiable)

Contact:
Todd DePastino, tdepastino[at]comcast.net